The invention relates to a latent heat storage means with a barium hydroxide octahydrate storage composition, that is to say a composition made up of barium hydroxide octahydrate either alone or admixed with another material, contained in a storage core placed in at least one chamber which is adjacent to at least one flow path for a heat vehicle fluid.
For the sake of convenience the storage material will herein be simply referred to as a barium hydroxide octahydrate composition irrespectively of whether barium hydroxide octahydrate alone or a mixture on the basis of barium hydroxide octahydrate is utilized.
Barium hydroxide octahydrate (Ba(OH).sub.2.8H.sub.2 O) is more particularly suitable for the storage of latent heat from the engine cooling system in an automobile, because its phase transition temperature is favorable for this particular application and the costs are within reasonable limits. However, Ba(OH).sub.2.8H.sub.2 O does exhibit aggressive properties which have so far been taken into account by the manufacture of the walls of the enclosure for the storage medium of stainless steel.